Switch-clock.



W. H. MELLOR & G. E. OBTH.

SWITCH CLOCK.

APPLIOATION FILED JUNE 15, 1912.

Patented Sept. 30, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

S a I .1 M PM and W. H. MELLOR & G. E. OETH SWI TGH CLOCK. APPLIOATION FILED JUNE 15, 1912.

, Patented Sept. 30, 1913.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WALTER H. MELLOR AND CORNELIUS E. OETH, OF MIGIHIGAN CITY, INDIANA.

SWITCH CLOCK.

Application filed June 15, 1912.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, lVALTEn H. MELLOR and CORNELIUS E. OETH, citizens of the United States of America, and residents of Michigan City, county of Laporte, and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Switch-Clocks, of which the following is a specification, and which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

The invention relates to clocks, and more particularly to those having provision for controlling the actuation of other mechanism, such as an electrical switch or a strik ing mechanism.

The object of the invention is to provide a clock mechanism of the kind described which shall be of simple and inexpensive construction and reliable in operation.

The invention is exemplified in the structure to be hereinafter described and which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a detail front face view ofa clock embodying the features of improvement provided by the invention, some of the parts being broken away to show the internal construction; Fig. 2 shows the clock mechanism in side elevation; Fig. 3 is a detail front face view of the clock mechanism, some of the parts being broken away; Fig. a is a detail perspective view showing a system of controlling levers employed in the mechanism, and Figs. 5 and 6 are each similar to a detail of Fig. 3, but show the parts in different positions.

For the purpose of illustrating our invention, we have shown in the drawings a clock mechanism adapted to automatically actuate an electrical switch at predetermined times of the day. Such a clock mechanism may be conveniently employed for controlling the illumination of store windows and the like, whereby the lights for illuminating the same may be automatically turned on and off at predetermined times of the day without requiring the services of an attendant for this purpose further than for a periodical winding of the clock. Such a clock mechanism is preferably inclosed within a clock case, as 10. This case may be of any convenient form and will usually be supplied with a dial 11 on which the time of day will be indicated in the accustomed manner by the hands 12 and 13. The m'echanisinfor actuating the hands 12 and 13 is not fully illus- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. so, 1913.

Serial No. 703,826.

trated in the drawings, for the reason that it may be of any well known form of construction. As shown, the operative parts of the clock mechanism are assembled between the usual front and rear frame members 38, 39. The minute hand spindle is shown at 14, and the hour iand sleeve turning thereon in a. well known manner, is shown at 15.

An electrical switch is represented in outline at 16. This switch is conveniently mounted within the clock case 10, as by being secured to the rear wall 17 of the case centrally below the clock mechanism. The switch may be of a well known type of construction wherein the making and breaking of the electric circuit are effected by successive partial rotations of a spindle 18 in the same direction. The wires, as 19, 20, of the electric circuit are preferably led to the switch 16 through a bushing 21 in the wall of the case 10. Power for operating the switch may be supplied from any convenient source, but for this purpose we prefer to employ the spring-actuated drum shown at 22. This spring-actuated drum is of the sort frequently supplied in clocks for the purpose of actuating the striking mechanism. As such drums are well known in the art, the internal construction is not fully illustrated in the drawings. The usual actuating gear 23 is mounted on the drum. The drum is also provided with a winding spindle 24, and a ratchet wheel 25 is mounted on the spindle for preventing counter r0- tation of the same. A fan 26, such as is frequently found in striking clocks for retarding the unwinding of the spring drum 22, is preferably also used in the present mechanism for a like purpose. The fan is operatively connected to the spring drum 22 by gearing in the usual manner. As shown, a gear 33 which turns with the fan is connected with the gear 23 through the intermediate gears 27, 28, 29, 30, 31 and 32, the gears 28, 30 and 32 being each mounted on a common spindle with the gears 27 29 and 31 respectively. p 7

A gear 34 is mounted on the spindle 18 of the switch 16 for turning the switch. This gear is operatively connected with the actuating gear 23 of the spring drum 22 through the gears 35 and 36. These gears are mounted upon a common spindle 37, and they mesh with the gears 23 and 3 1 respectively. The spindle 37 is conveniently'su'p ported by having its opposite ends journaled in suitable extensions, as 71, of the front and rear frame members 88, 39 of the clock mechanism. By means of this arrangement repeated partial rotations of the actuating gear 23 of the spring drum 22 serve to turn the switch 16 off and on alternately. The invention provides for arresting the action of the gear 23 after each operation 0 fthe switch 16, and for again releasing it at a predetermined time of day. For arresting the action of the spring drum 22 a stop 40 is applied to the fan 26. This stop conveniently takes the form of a hook for engaging the edge of the fan 26 to preventits rotation. As shown, the stop 40 is formed integral with a lever arm 41. Preferably one end of the lever arm 41 is slotted, as indicated at 42, to slidingly receive a supporting stud 43. The stud 43 is fixedly supported in any convenient way as by being mounted upon the front frame member 38 of the clock mechanism. The other end of the lever arm 41 is beveled, as indicated at 43, for engagement with any one of a series of studs 44 mounted upon the face of the actuating gear 23. This end of the lever arm 41 is guidedly supported by a second lever 45. The lever 45 has a pin and slot connection with the lever 41, the slot 52 being formed in the lever 45 and a pin 58, which passes through the slot, being carried by the lever. 41. For a purpose to be hereinafter described, the slot 52 is oblique to the axis of the lever 45. A spring 54 reacts between the lever 41 and the stud 48 to urge the stop 40 away from the fan 26. The spring 54 is shown as being an extensible spring. One end bears against the stud 43 and the other end bears against a small pin 55 which is carried by the lever arm 41.

The lever 45 preferably takes the form of a bell crank and is pivotally mounted upon a part of the front frame member 38 of the clock mechanism. A spring 56 acts upon the bell crank lever 45 to normally hold the beveled end 43 of the lever 41 in the path of the studs 44. As shown, the intermediate portion of the spring 56 is coiled about the hub 57 of the bell crank lever 45. One end of the spring 56 is fixed in position, as by being thrust into an aperture 58 provided in the frame member 38 of the clock mechanism. The other end of the spring 56 is hooked over the arm 46 of the bell crank lever, in the manner shown at 59, Fig. 4.

Provision is made for swinging the bell crank lever 45 against the effort of the spring 56 to raise the beveled end 43 of the lever 41 out of the path of the studs 44 when the switch 16 is to be operated. For this purpose a plurality of pins, as 47, 48,

'49 and 50, are provided for engaging a part 46 of the bell crank lever 45. These pins are adjustably mounted upon a disk 51 which is turned by the clock mechanism. The disk.

51 is most clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings. Preferably the disk 51 is so mounted as to be exposed in front of the dial 11 of the clock. As shown, it is rotatably mounted upon a stud 60 which projects forwardly from the part 71 of the frame member 38 of the clock mechanism. For turning the disk, a gear wheel 61 is rotatably mounted upon the stud 60 in rear of the disk. This gear is preferably formed integral with the disk. The gear 61 meshes with one of the gears, as 62, of the clock mechanism. As shown, the gear 62 is mounted on the hour hand sleeve 15 and is one of the usual train of gears employed in clocks for operatively connecting the hour hand sleeve, as 15, with the minute hand spindle 14. Preferably the gear 61 is made twice the size of the gear 62, whereby the disk 51 is caused to turn through one revolution in 24 hours. A series of apertures 63, circumferentially arranged about the disk 51, are provided for adjustably receiving the pins 47, 48, 49 and 50. Preferably the apertures 63 will be sufficiently numerous and properly spaced to provide for the adjustment of the pins 47, 48, 49 and 50 upon fifteen minute intervals. F or simplicity of illustration only half that number of apertures is shown in the drawings. During the turning of the disk 51, the pins 47, 48, 49 and 50 successively engage the part 46 of the bell crank lever 45. Each pin, on reaching the lever, first swings it against the effort of the spring 56, to raise the part 48 of the lever 41 out of the path of the studs 44. When the pin passes the lever to release it, the spring 54 is thereby permitted to depress the lever 41 to move the stop 40 out of engagement with the fan 26. The several apertures 63 are accordingly most desirably marked to indicate the time of day at which a pin, as 47, inserted therein will release the arm 46. As shown, this marking is efiected by inscribing the hours of the day upon the face of the disk, as at 64, Fig, 1. In addition to the marks indicating the hours of the day, the disk will be marked to indicate whether the hour is before noon or after noon, this being accomplished by properly inscribing the characters A. M. and P. M. upon the disk, as shown at 65 and 66. If desired, furthermore, the words Day and Night may be inscribed upon the disk adjacent the figures indicating the hours near noon and near midnight respectively, as shown at 67 and 68, Fig. 1. When the mechanism is to be used for controlling the illumination of shop windows, the disk '51 will be preferably provided with four of the pins 47, 48, 49 and 50, as shown. Two of these pins, as 47, 48, may serve to engage the arm 46 of the bell crank lever 45 in the forenoon for controlling the lights during the early hours of the day. The other pins,

as 49, 50, will serve in a similar manner for turning the lights on and olt in the evening. For example, if it is desired to have the shop window illuminated from 5 oclock to 6.30 in the morning and from 4.30 to 10 oclock in the evening, the pins will be inserted in the apertures of the disk in accordance with the arrangement shown in Fig. 1. Most desirably the clock mechanism will be of the kind commonly known as an eight day clock, requiring to be wound but once each week. Vith such a clock mechanism, readjustment of the pins by which the lights are caused to be turned off in the morning and turned on in the evening, through a fifteen minute interval. on the disk 51 effected at each alternate time the clock mechanism is wound, will serve to substantially keep the artificial illumination of a shop window in accordance with the variation in the period of daylight illumination arising from changes in the season of the year. If it is desired to have the switch 16 operated to turn on and turn off the lights but once each day, two of the pins, as 47, 48, may be entirely removed from the disk 51. lVhen one of the pins, as 47, engages the arm 46 of the bell crank lever 45, the lever is turned on its pivot against the effort of the spring 56, and by reason of the inclined arrangement of the slot 52 the lower end 48 of the lever 41 is moved out of the path of the studs 44. This position of the parts is shown in Fig. 5 ot the drawings. When the pin, as 47, passes beyond the end of the arm 46, the spring 56 returns the bell crank lever to its original position, the lower end 43 of the lever 41 being now upon the other side of that one of the studs 44 with which it was previously engaged. This position of the parts is illustrated in Fig. 6 of the drawings. The spring 54 may now shift the lever 41 to withdraw the stop 40 from engagement with the fan 26. The actuating gear 23 is thereby permitted to rotate and actuate the spindle of the switch 16 to throw the switch. When the switch has been operated, another one of the studs 44 on the actuating gear 23 comes into engagement with the lower end 45 of the lever 41 to return the stop 40 into engagement with the fan 26. This arrests the turning of the actuating gear 23. lVhen another one of the pins, as 48, carried by the disk 51 comes into engagement with the arm 46, the previous movement of the parts is repeated, except that it the previous turning of the spindle 18 effected a closing of the switch, the switch will now be opened.

To permit the operation of the switch to be manually controlled, provision is preferably made for manually swinging the bell crank lever 45 from the outside of the clock case. To this end a wire 69 is connected to the lever 45 and extends upwardly therefrom through the side wall of the case 10, its outer end being equipped with a pull button 70. By pulling outwardly on the wire 69 the lower end 43 of the lever 41 will be released from the stud 44, and on releasing the wire 69 the spring 54 will move the stop 40 out of engagement with the fan 26. This will permit the parts to be operated by the spring drum 22 to throw the switch 16, in the same manner as it the lever 45 had been moved by the clock mechanism.

We claim as our invention- 1. In combination, a rotatable member, a stud carried thereby, a brake arm having a sliding pivotal support, a part of the arm remote from the said support being adapted for engagement by the said stud to advance the brake arm, a spring for retracting the brake arm, a clock actuated trip lever and a pin and cam slot connection between the trip lever and the brake arm.

In combination, a pair of operatively connected rotatable members, a stud carried by one of such members, a stop arm having a sliding pivotal support, a part of the arm remote from the said support being adapted for engagement by the said stud to move the arm against the said rotatable member not having the stud, a spring urging the arm away from the said rotatable member, a clock actuated trip lever and a pin and cam slot connection between the trip lever and the stop arm.

3. In combination, a plate having a measured period of rotation, a pin carried by the plate, a driving wheel, a rotatable member driven by the wheel, a stud carried by the wheel, a stop arm having a sliding pivotal support, a part ofthe arm remote from the said support being adapted for engagement by the said stud to move the arm against the said rotatable member, a spring urging the stop arm away from the said rotatable member, a trip lever extending into the path of the said pin and a pin and cam slot connection between the trip lever and the stop arm.

4. In combination, a spring motor, spring retracted holding means acting when advanced to prevent operation of the motor, a stud moved by the motor and engageable with the holding means to advance it, and a clock actuated trip acting on the holding means to move it out of engagement with the said stud.

5. In combination, a spring motor, spring retracted holding means acting when advanced to prevent operation of the motor, a stud moved by the motor and engageable with the holding means to advance it, and a clock actuated trip acting on the holding means to move it out of engagement with the said stud, the holding means being held in advanced position by the trip until the trip is released.

' 6. In combination, a spring motor, a stud moved by the motor, a longitudinally reciprocable holding arm acting when advanced to prevent operation of the motor, the rear end of the holding arm being laterally oscillatable into and out of the path of the stud, a clock actuated trip lever having an oblique cam slot, and a pin carried by the holding arm and running in the said cam slot.

7. In combination, a spring motor, spring retracted holding means acting when advanced to prevent operation of the motor, a stud moved by the motor and engageable with the holding means to advance it, a trip acting on the holding means to move it out of engagement with the said stud, the holding means being held in advanced position by the trip until the trip is released, a pin movable into engagement with the trip, and a clock mechanism for moving the pin.

8. In combination, a spring motor, a stud moved by the motor, a longitudinally reciprocable holding arm acting when advanced to prevent operation of the motor, the rear end of the holding arm being laterally oscillatable into and out of the path of the stud, a trip lever having an oblique cam slot, a pin carried by the holding arm and running in the said cam slot, and a clock mechanism acting on the trip lever.

9. In combination, a movable member, a

second movable member operatively connected with the first mentioned movable member, a spring retracted holding member normally extending into the path of the first mentioned movable member and adapted to be advanced thereby into engagement with the second mentioned movable member to prevent the operation of both of said movable members, and a clock actuated trip acting on the holding member to move it out of the path of the first mentioned movable member.

10. In combination, a movable member, a second movable member o )eratively connected with the first mentioned movable member, a spring retracted holding member normally extending into the path of the first mentioned movable member and adapted to be advanced therebv into engagement with the second mentioned movable member to prevent the operation of both of said movable members, and a clock actuated trip acting on the holding member to move it out of the path of the first mentioned movable member, the holding member being held in advanced position by the trip until the trip is released.

\VALTER H. MELLOR. CORNELIUS E. OETH. Witnesses:

FRED. N. SMITH, ROBERT F. GARnnTTsoN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

- Washington, D. C, 

